Guide for indicating the fecundity rhythm in women



e. VAN HOUTTE ET AL 2,612,317 GUIDE FOR INDICATING THE FECUNDITY RHYTHM IN WOMEN J Sept. 30, 1952 Filed Aug. 22, 1950 ArZZzarDem me;

Patented Sept. 30, 1952 A GUIDE FOR INDICATING THE FECUNDITY I RHYTHM IN WOMEN Ghislain Van Houtte and Arthur Demeuse,

Brussels, Belgium Application August 22, 1950, Serial No. 180,794

In Belgium August' 29, 1949 2 Claims.

It cannot be denied any longer that it is of utmost importance for gynecologists as well as for women to determine rapidly and accurately, if the length of a menstrual cycle and the date of appearance of the recent menstruation are known, the date of appearance of the next menstruation to be expected, and the fecundity period of the current cycle.

The first two determinations are made by calculating the days on any calendar, and the latter determination, o. q. the fecundity period, can be easily determined by the method ac cording to Ogino; but, apart from the fact that it meets some inconvenience to count the days on a calendar, which is necessarily not always at hand, it ensues, according to Oginos method, that a calculation must be carried out by counting backwards from the date of appearance of the next menstruation to be expected; said operations are rather complicated and susceptible of great risks of errors.

Also, since many years, several calendars, appliances and devices have been devised for easier determining said dates; but up to the present none of the known devices have given satisfactory results and its handling is often rather complicated and requires careful attention whilst making and reading the annotations, calculating, etc.,' thence the risks of errors.

'The present invention relates to an apparatus by means of which the date of appearance of the next menstruation and the fecundity period of the cycle under review "can be rapidly determined, without calculation and, therefore, without risk of errors.

In principle, it sufiices to bring the number of the day of the month of the appearance of the recent menstruation opposite of a figure corresponding to the length of the cycle under review; opposite of the current month the date of appearance of the next menstruation, and the dates of the beginning and the end ofthe fecundity period of the cycle under review is read. The invention will now be further explained with reference to a few preferred embodiments,

in a diagrammatic form, .in perspective, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which: I v v Fig. 1 shows one side of the apparatus being the object of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the other side of the same apparatus.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment-oi the same apparatus, which has aslide on one side only.

In the rule l, provided with the two lateral 2 guides 2 and 2', aslide 3 can be moved, having at its extremities a notch 4, 4', destined for facilitating holding and moving the slide 3 in-the guides}. U

' The top side of the guide 2 bears the figures 1 to 31, indicating'the possible 31 days of a month. j l 1 Opposite of these figures l to 31, on the slide 3 are provided, on the same scale, the figures 33 to 23 corresponding to the various lengths of the normal menstrual cycles.

It is, of course, possible to provide, without deviating from the gist of the invention, an ap-' paratus by means of which it is possible to read the different dates'when cycles longer than 33 or shorter than 23 are involved. In this case,

of course, the slide 3 will bear the marks referring to the length of the cycles extending on a scale beyond the figures 33 and 23. 1

The slide 3 is provided with three windows referred to by figures 5, 6 and 7, arranged in staggered relation. Each of the three windows 5, 6 and 1 is cut out in the slide 3 so as to see through it the bottom of the rule I.

Each of the windows 5, 6 and l is'relative to one month or to a series of months; the window 5 is relative to the months of March, May, Au-'- gust, October, each having 31 days followed by a month having 30 days; the window 6 is relative to the months of April, June, September, November, each having 30 days followed by a month of 31 days; the window is relative'to the months of July and December, each having 31 days followed by a month of 31 days.

On the bottom of the rule I, groups of three figures are inscribed one under another, indicated by 8, said groups are juxtaposed in three horizontal and parallel series 5', 6 and 'l,c'orresponding to the three windows 5, 6 and l.

The surface'covered by a group 8 corresponds to the surface of a window 5, For 1. By pushing the slide 3 in the guides 2 of'th-e rule I, the windows 5, 6 and l uncover each the groups of three figures 8. These three figures are in the order from high to low; the number of the day of the month in the beginning of the fecundity period, the number of the day of the month at the end of the fecundity period andthenumber of the day of the month indicating the date .of appearance of the next menstruation to be expected. These figures, representing the numbers "of the days of the month, are relative to the month under review; if they refer to thejnext month, they are provided with a background of diiferent color; if necessary, if they refer to The determination of the fecundity period of a woman and of the date of appearance of the next menstruation to be expected, if the date of appearance of the recent menstruation andthe length of the-menstrual cycle are known, 15 very easily efiected by pushing the slide 3 until the figures referring to the length of the cycle of the person to be examined, are superposed (figures provided on the slide 3 and figures generally indicated by 9), and the reference marks referring to the number of the day of the month (provided on the guide 2 and figures generally indicated by 10) corresponding to the date of appearance of the recent menstruation. Through the window corresponding to the month of appearance of the recent menstruation, three'superposed figures are visible, if desired, provided on the bottom in different colors; the first figure refers to the date of the beginning, the second tothe date of the end of the fecundity period, at last the third figure refers to the date of appearance of the next menstruation to be expected.

Example 1.-The recent menstruation of a woman having a menstrual cycle of 28 days, started on March 17th. By pushing the slide 3 in'xtheguides '2, so that the. reference mark 28 (length of the cycle) comes opposite of the figure 1'7 on the guide 2 (number of the day of the month), the three figures: 26 on a white background; 2 .on a. yellow background and 14 on a yellow background, are visible on .the rule I through the window (corresponding to the month of March, which means that the fecundity period will begin on the 26th of the month under review, i. e. on March 26th, that said fecundity period-will end on the 2nd of the next month, i. e. April 2nd, and that the next menstruation will appear-on the 14th day of the next month, i. e. on. April 14th.

Fig. 2 of the drawings shows the other side of the apparatus.

In the guides 2 and 2' of the rulel moves a slide 3 provided at its extremities with a notch 4, 4". On. the top side of the'guide 2 the fig.- ures. 1 to 31 are inscribed, which correspond to the possible '31 days of a month, this group of figures is generally indicated by ID. On the same scale, on the top margin of the slide 3 are provided the figures 33 to 23 referring to various cycles which can be studied with this apparatus, said figures are generally indicated by 9.

'In the slide 3 four windows are provided, indicated by H, l2, l3 and I4, and referring respectively to:

1|, January of a normal year having 365 days 12, February of a normal year having 365 days 13, January of a leap-year having 366 days l4 ,-February of a leap-year having 366 days.

vThus four types of different months are given; the first is a month of 31 days followed by a month of 28 days; the second is a month of 28 days followed by a month of 31 days; the third is a month of 31 days followed by a month of 29 days; at last the fourth is a month of 29 days followed by a month of 31 days.

The use of this side of the apparatus is entirely the same as that described with respect son having a menstrual cycle of 32 days has started on January 28th of a normal year having 365 days. By pushing the slide 3 in the guides 2 and 2 until the figure 32 (corresponding to the length of the cycle, provided on the slide) corresponds to the figure 28 (corresponding to the number of the day of the month, provided on theguide 2) thethree figures: 10 on a yellow background, 17 on a yellow background, and l on a. blue background are visible through the window II, which indicates that the fecundity period will begin on the 10th of the month following the month under review, i. e., consequently, onFebruary 10th, that it will end on the 17th of the month following the month under review, 1. e. on February 17th, and that 'thenextmenstruation will appear on the 1st of the second month following the month under review, '1. .e. on March 1st.

Fig. 3 shows a variant of the embodiment of the objectof the invention.

The rule I with its guides 20 and 10 carries a slide 30, provided with notches 40= andAIlflon one of its sidesonly;

The guide .20 carries, as described in the ex-v amples of Figs. 1 and.2, the figures l to 31 corresponding to the possible 31- days of a month, and, opposite thereof, on the slide 30, the figures 33 to 23 corresponding to various cycles, which can be studied with the apparatus, which is the object of the present invention. I

The slide 30 is provided with seven windows indicated by 50,. 60, I0, 80, 90, I00, H0 corresponding respectively to:

50, March, May, August, October 60, April, June, September; November 10, July, December 1 80, January of .a normal year having 365 .days 90, February of a normal year having. 365 ,d'ays I 00, January of a leap-year having366Idays H0, February of a leap-year having 366 days.

The manipulations to vbe carried out with this apparatus are in every respect entirely the same as those described with respect to Figs. 1 and '2 and need not any particular explanation. I

The apparatus described with respect to (Figs. 1 to 3 can be manufactured of all sorts of. suitable material, like: cardboard, strong paper, metal, wood, plastic, etc. The indications like e. g. the numbers of the days of themonth, the lengths of the cycle, the names of themonths, the characteristic figures of the beginning and the end of the fecundity period, and the date of appearance-of the menstruation to be expected, may be provided on the apparatuses by any suitable means, by printing, engraving, or by printing on an individual carrier which is glued or fixed on the apparatus, without deviating from tle gist of the invention by said various metho 5.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for determining-the date of appearance of the next menstruation to be expected and the date'of the beginning and the end of the fecundity period of a determined menstrual cycle of a. woman, comprising a rule on the surface of which slides a slide provided with windows through which the indications-marked on the rule .and'referring; to the date of the' beginning of the fecundity period, to the detect the end of said period, andto the date of? appearance of the next-'menstruation to beex Eazcmple'zr-Jhe recentmenstruation of -ap {(5 pecte are sb r e ch 9! th said windows refers to a well-determined type of month, like .all the months relating to one and the same window having the same number of days and followed by a month having the same number of days.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the rule carriesv figures referring to the number of the day or; a month and the slide,

opposite of said figures, carries figures referring to various lengths of cycles which can be ex- 10 amined with the aid of this apparatus.

anismm VAN HoU'r'rn ARTHUR DEMEUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Heering Aug. 8, 1933 Heyssler -4, Jan. 9, 1934 Anderson Dec. 4, 1934 Gulligan f July 21, 1936 Marquis Apr. 6, 1937 Marguia Aug. 23, 1938 Sifrit Apr. 22, 1941 Spielmann June 20, 1950 

